The joy of Strangers
by Marillett Blend
Summary: Is it possible to learn to feel emotions after you've been denied them so long? How do you learn what friendship is? Family? Hatred? ...Love? Please R and R! Anything helps!
1. Chapter 1

Be kind! This is my first attempt - I obviously in no way own Naruto or its characters - you know the drill.

Also, I apologize for any major discrepancies in plot - I'm trying to stick to the facts and characters as much as the anime/manga intended them to be. If you notice any huge flaws (within reason, obviously) please, I'd love for you to let me know. I'd appreciate honest reviews!

Stick with the slow start, please - plenty of chapters on the way, I'm just trying to get used to all this stuff before posting anything big!

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The sun pierced through the thin covering of leaves, dusting the forest floor in small droplets of warmth. Far beneath her, a young woman with bright pink hair stood within a small group of girls. She couldn't have been older than eighteen, mayhap nineteen. Yet, Konoha's Hokage had given her the responsibility of training the young ones, setting their future into movement. The girl in the trees recognized her – part of Team 7, Sakura; the girl whose name quickly had become synonymous with power and kindness. The tiny shinobi-to-bes had spread out beneath the large canopy of forest and in the dappled light were collecting flowers and herbs. Such a simple, innocent task…

"_Do you believe them? Just because he's a Jinchuuriki doesn't mean they should be able to treat him that way!"_

" _Shush up! You know we aren't supposed to talk about that - Sakura-sensei will be so mad if she hears you talking about him!"_

"_Maybe that's best! Maybe she'll teach those monsters to treat him with some respect!"_

She'd heard the conversation clearly, even from her place far up in the treetops. She felt that one word sink its way down in the depths of her bones with something closely resembling adrenaline. She'd found him. Finally – after all these weeks! After all the searching… she'd found him. She knew that choosing the young as a source of information had been a good idea. After all, in their innocence – how could they ever suspect that the words they uttered would be the truths that she needed? _Out of the mouth of babes…_ A voice deep inside her head woke her from the buzz itching in her blood.

_What are you going to do, girl?_

She didn't answer the voice at first. It felt too reminiscent of her adopted-mother… a fine line of pain raced into her heart at the thought, and she quickly shut it off like a leaky spigot.

" Well, Nan-chan, since you know the answer to that, I find no need to waste words on explaining it again."

A small, verbal smirk echoed inside the girl's head, a sign of her demon's approval. Both of them pretended they didn't sense the lack of sincerity, the hesitation…

With a sigh of acceptance, the girl disappeared, leaving the trees and the small class of students below her to continue their training, unwatched by her silent set of eyes.

Sakura glanced up at the empty branches of the trees, a slight tingle of dread pitting in her stomach. She couldn't sense any chakra trails in the air, nor could she see anyone hiding amongst the leaves… but some odd sense of knowing made her look twice, her eyes constantly glancing like a mistrustful dog's. No doubt it was just paranoia… after all, this was her first time teaching the class outside and she felt worried that something bad would happen. That was normal for any new young teacher – especially with the current state of fragility between the villages. Everything was in chaos… this was just another consequence of the pending war. She tried using that to excuse the feeling and turned her mind back to the field of flowers and growing minds before her.

"Sakura-sensei! Look at my bouquet!"

Immediately her worry dissipated into the innocent handlings of the children, the moment of wariness forgotten.

Deep in the woods, perhaps a mere two miles away, the same young woman stood before a man. He was tall and rather androgynous looking with long, light blue hair and intriguing yellow eyes. The way he carried himself would suggest he had a stash of wealth and enjoyed using it – perhaps, that too looked obvious from his choice of clothing. He wore a set of dark shinobi robes that appeared to be made of fine silk, and his headband, sporting the symbol of an unfamiliar clan, seemed to be made of pure gold. The young woman bowed before him, making her subservience to him obvious. This man – whomever he was, demanded the respect – or perhaps fear, of anyone he involved himself with. The young jinchuuriki acted no different.

"So… Naruto is here. That makes things easy, doesn't it? I suppose the other information then was just to throw us off his trail… they've cut out most of the leaks about him but- " The man she spoke to cut her report short with a quick chopping motion of his hand. She took a step away from him, her face blank of emotion.

" You aren't here for reports. You have a mission, so finish it. I don't want to see you again until it's complete." Instead of waiting for a reply, he narrowed his eyes and disappeared in a puff of lavender-tinged smoke.

She glanced into the mix of the Konoha trees, wondering if she could really complete the mission. She kept reminding herself of two facts – the only two that should have been in her mind. One, she was nothing but a weapon created to obey orders. Two, they were at war with her home. Her home… the village hidden in the ash. Rather… they were at war with the Sound village, and Kabuto created her village to supply the sound village with a good selection of its human weapons, therefore…

Therefore what? She should continue killing blindly because she'd been made for it? Inside, the demon reminded her she was nothing but an experimental child. Orochimaru's finest accomplishment – a conglomeration of familial blood traits, a demon, and no real family – all made to be bent to his will, all kept in a neat little bundle of joy. Traits from the Hyuga family, the Uchiha clan, and a Kekkei genkai from her own supposed family line gave her an upper hand in most battles… unfortunately, the nature of her being meant that she could never truly develop them. No one but the Hyuga family and Uchiha clan could really master their techniques… well, there was the ninja she'd been warned about, Kakashi… but she wasn't the same. Her own Byakugan could only be used within a ten-foot range, and the Sharingan… she couldn't get developed past its first stage. Not to mention the drain on her chakra both of them caused… that was the purpose of her being a jinchuuriki. In partnering with the demon inside her, she could use all three of her talents at once, and not pass out from the strain. The demon however, did not let her use the chakra for free.

A shudder went down her spine, causing her to pause.

" Nan-chan…? Perhaps… this is opportunity best left wasted…"

_You will do what you will do little one, this is not my decision._


	2. Chapter 2

Hello all! Sorry for any confusion in regards to my posts - I'm having a few issues (does anyone know how to make it double space? Any time I try adding another line between paragraphs, it deletes them! so I apologize if this chapter is a little... squished.) Also - thank you .hoshi.na-chan. for the review! And please, keep them coming everyone. I would really appreciate any feedback.

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She stood in the doorway. In the dark, she could make out the bed before her and the body lying deep in slumber within it.

_" Just walk in and do it. It isn't so hard… think of it not as destruction, but as creation. You're creating new chances for the people of this village; you're creating food for the creatures of the earth. It isn't death, it's opportunity." The man stood next to her, whispering in her ear the entire time, trying to sooth the little girl's nerves._

_In the dark before her, in the bed that held the body she would kill – no, she would use to create opportunity, a small familiar snore broke the silence. The girl didn't cry, though inside her body screamed at the wrongness of the situation. Even Nan-chan, her inner friend and demon, felt slightly ill at what they demanded of the youth. Her hands trembled as she pulled a kunai from her belt. Slowly, she moved towards the bed, her little bare feet sure and steady despite her terrified disposition._

_Could she really do this? It wasn't a matter of could or couldn't… she knew, inside, deep in her heart of hearts, if she could not – they would kill her. Nameless, only seven years old, and terrified of the fact that if she died now, she never would have existed at all… they left her with only one option. She pulled the blanket down to her sister's shoulders. This, her twin – her best friend, her everything. The only person who had given her identity… She lifted the kunai to her own hand – then stopped and thought better. If she were forced to kill her with their Kekkei Genkai, it would be from the blood closest to her heart. Slowly, the young girl slashed a deep cut in the place right above her heart, wincing at the pain – both physical and emotional - that instantly seared her. Maneuvering her hand, she leaned forward slightly so the blood would fall through the cut she'd just made in her shirt and chest and into her palm. After a handful, she leaned back again and looked at the blood. Her eyes shined a strange, pearly color and the blood began to dance in her hand, moving like a cobra to the flute. Slowly, it moved from her fingers to the bed, leaving no trail but looking like a long, shiny red rope. It wrapped around her twin's neck, tightening, cutting off the oxygen…_

_The snores stopped. _

She shuddered from the memory, surprised to find her hand had subconsciously moved to the scar that still remained beneath her shirt. She yanked it away and instead pulled a kunai from her belt, but found herself unwilling to use it. Inside, Nan-chan sighed – but whether it was with disappointment or relief, the girl could not tell.

She exhaled silently and slipped the kunai back into her belt. This memory… why now? Why would it stop her from finishing her mission here, at this place of all places? She'd assassinated so many… made so many… _opportunities. _Yet here, she stood in the doorway of a complete stranger, someone who she knew nothing about, and could not bring herself to kill him.

She forced herself a step further into the room, moving on silent feet trained for eleven years since that night. The girl pulled the kunai out again, placing it against the palm of her hand where countless scars overlapped themselves. The ultimate defense… Gaara of the sand could use his sand to defend himself and that was great… but _she, _she had two defenses, making her nearly impossible to hurt. Not only did Nan-chan give her the shield of blades – similar to Gaara's defense, it allowed her to control a patch of demonic grass, extremely malleable (at least for her), but harder than any metal known to man; if that failed and she were injured, she could control her own blood and use it as an extremely strong shield. However – as useful as her defenses were… they did not protect her from most medical ninjas, and a few others who knew her weaknesses. She shuddered, remembering the first time she'd seriously fought Kabuto…

" Orochimaru will hear about your disobedience. One of his supposed 'perfect weapons' and you can't even kill _him? _I'm disgusted." She awoke from her reveries with a start, turning to look at the shadow in the window. Unsure of how long he'd been there, she brandished her kunai at him with startling surety.

" Don't threaten me." She snapped, not even trying to justify her failure. He snickered quietly. Both of them were speaking below a whisper, mere brushes of air from their lungs painting the words.

In an extremely uncharacteristic move, he leapt towards the bed, and in an incredible show of speed, she met him there. The kunai in her hand moved in front of the one in his, blocking it away from the sleeping man – in consequence, the point slid down her blade and into her hand. She suppressed the pain, gritting her teeth and giving him no satisfaction. Her free hand pushed him away and into the desk across the room, a spray of blood marking his path as the kunai pulled out of her skin. He caught himself against a desk, knocking over a vase of flowers and several books. The man, his blue hair whipping about in an invisible wind, caught them before anything but water could splash the floor. Both looked at the body in the bed, but it barely stirred. Blood dripped down to the ground and she gave him a vicious smile. He shocked her by returning the look.

" You think I don't know what you can do? You're a mere child – a broken tool who can't even do as she's told." He whispered, his yellow eyes narrowing with derisive humor. She still did not show an emotional response – he was trying to get her to lose her cool… little did he know, internally, the struggle had become out of hand, his insults meant nothing against that emotional backdrop. Behind her cool mask she became more and more lost as the seconds passed. The consequences of her actions rattled her insides.

Years ago, she had sacrificed her sister's life for her own, now… she was paying back the deed by sacrificing her life for a total stranger's. The moment she had blocked the blue-haired man – no, the moment she had blocked _Akahiro's _kunai, she forfeited her life. A sorrowful moment filled her mind, a knowing that no matter how many lives she did not take, no matter how many lives she saved – it would never make up for the "opportunities" she'd created. But as a weapon, what did she have to make up for anyways? No… that was wrong, she was more than a weapon… wasn't she?

Still, if she were willing to sacrifice her life – she would make it worth it. Gathering the blood spilt from her hand, she whipped it around herself in harsh strands. It appeared like licorice barbed wire – but not nearly so cheerful. She swung the thin ropes forward, slashing at the man who had hired her, Akahiro. No longer would she deny his name – no longer would she acknowledge him only as the hand that wielded her. Inside her, Nan-chan seemed to jitter with glee. Despite the years they'd spent together, she could not tell what the demon felt excited about – the potential for spilt blood, or the sudden change in her host's demeanor.

A blast of fire took her off guard, cauterizing the wires she had swung at him and making them useless. The smell of burnt blood filled the room and the flash of light momentarily blinded the two of them, causing her to hissed in irritation. Behind her the body in the bed began to stir. Akahiro and her both snapped around to look at him and without thinking; she instantly called up the Demon grass. It grew in a neat, blackish forest in front of the bed, bending down and around – effectively surrounding the yellow-haired boy, and blocking the poisoned needles the blue-haired man shot at him.

Unfortunately, it left her completely vulnerable and Akahiro took advantage of it. With her attention on the well being of the stranger, he used the mere seconds to perform a succession of hand signs. From the ground, the spilt water formed into several icy orbs; six of them – each perhaps two inches in diameter flew at her, slamming into the chakra points of her body, cutting off each vein of energy one by one. The chakra infused ice orbs were quickly followed by a whirlwind surrounding her body, preventing her from jumping or moving about the room.

The second purpose of the wind became clear when she thought of using her blood – it'd pull it all out of her body. She'd heard of this jutsu, but never seen it… he used the wind as a suctioning tool to pull all chakra from within it to make itself more powerful, fueling the wind to highly destructive speed. Her Kekkei Genkai meant her blood had its own second chakra source, it couldn't be stopped by hitting the normal chakra points on her body, but – if she tried using it as a shield, she'd activate that chakra and the whirlwind would pull it all out of her body, leaving her a bloodless husk. The ice however held the chakra only in the very inside crystals – enough to fuel them, but not enough for the whirlwind to pull out.

Instinctively she used the kunai to try and block them, but the first two simply snapped the metal blade into pieces and continued on to her body. The shiny orbs broke and cracked bones; some shattered with the impact and turned into needles that continued to cut into her like long dangerous wasp stings. The girl cried out, unable to use her blood to protect herself, unable to move the demon grass from its protective cocoon around the man she had been hired to kill, unable to do anything but take the pain within the whirlwind. Slowly, she could feel the orbs of glassy ice stop their attack, a burst of heat from Nan-chan melting them instantly to useless drops of water, the whirlwind cancelled out by one spinning in its flow in the opposite direction.

Her byakugan and sharingan both undeveloped proved useless – capable of nothing but keep track of the orbs and place her hands in front of them to stop fatal blows, but they'd never actually served to protect herself... No wonder Kabuto hated her… she'd been a waste of their most precious Dna...

No wonder so many men feared this man… he hadn't even used a fraction of his energy and he'd laid her down like a broken doll, she shuddered to think of what else he could do.

She didn't want to do a check on herself, didn't want to see how bad the damage was… she could feel the broken bones in her hands from trying to block the ice from the more vulnerable parts of her body, the rest, she just chose not to try and note for the time being. Slowly, she stood back to her feet – not even having been aware of falling. Nan-chan lent her some of her chakra, letting it flow and begin to slowly heal some of the wounds, though she refused to let her use it to attack the man. She didn't understand Nan-chan's refusal, but then… dazed and suffering from a major concussion at the moment, trying to process reason wasn't coming easy.

" The only reason I choose not to kill you – because I think it will be more entertaining to watch you suffer at the hands of Orochimaru. And, what was that medical ninja's name? Ah – Kabuto should get a kick out of dissecting what remains of your body. Though – as useless as you prove to be as a weapon, I'm sure your worth as a test subject would be menial as well." He laughed loud and clearly, the whispering no longer necessary. His voice, once rich and cultivated – came across harsh and cold with hatred and sadism. She watched him disappear out the window, holding onto consciousness long enough to observe the Demon Grass dissipate and the man she'd protected leap forward with a kunai directed straight at her heart.


	3. Chapter 3

Short flash back scene - tried to fix all the spelling errors on names I've made... however, I'm not perfect. Any issues, any total discrepancies, any thoughts you have - don't feel shy, share! How am I ever supposed to get better if you don't help me with my strengths and weaknesses? Still spacing issues as well...

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" _Orochimaru-sama, why don't I get a name like the rest of the kids? How will anyone know who I am?" _

" _You have a purpose that doesn't allow you to have a name, you'll just have to let everyone know who you are in a different way."_

" _But… I want a name. I don't want to be so strange!"_

" _Trust me, have I ever led you astray? It's better this way, that's all you need to know."_

_  
She glanced into the darkness of the night, the area only pinpointed by the tiny specks of moon and starlight. She knew how old she was, that's how she kept track of her progress… every year she'd remember what she used to be able to do, and how much more she could do now. She was five years old. Until this point, she'd been kept under the strict hand of Orochimaru, but today – he said she was going to get new teachers, and they would be like foster parents to her. He said that… but she didn't believe him. She wasn't like the other children, she didn't get parents. Parents were a weakness, therefore, she had already decided to hate them, and make them hate her. No matter if they were good people or not – it had long since been beaten into her head that emotional ties were weaknesses. They were going to take her and her sister both, they would train together they said – grow up together. Her sister called her Nee-chan in secret, and she thought that was a splendid name… she felt like someone because her sister made her someone. She remembered she shouldn't have feelings, but since it was her real sister, and they looked the exact same, she thought it was okay. _

" _Hai, they're here. Girls, these are your new teachers. You will live with them, and they will feed you and teach you how to use your skills. Don't disappoint me."_

_  
She wiped the blood from her hands – her own, and someone else's… two someone else's. For the last time, her foster mother had scolded her – for the last time, her foster father had beaten her for nothing better than amusement. They had loved her sister, they had treated her like a little princess… and while they were having fun and playing, while they were busy being a family – she had trained. A year ago, the shadow-man who sometimes came to visit her and teach her special jutsus helped her get rid of her sister. He had said she was creating opportunities, and now – he'd come back and she'd created two more opportunities. When she'd first killed her sister, they had cried and been distraught. She didn't shed tears. Inside, Nan-chan helped keep her calm, helped protect her from the worst of the pain. It wasn't that she didn't feel… the shadow-man had just taught her ways to internalize the pain, so it didn't affect her. Slowly, she was learning how to do that. _

" _Congratulations, you passed the test." Orochimaru greeted her with the shadow-man at the hall to his hideout. From then on, Kabuto and the shadow-man trained her… she taught herself to hate them as well, especially Kabuto. In her young mind, she knew if she'd been forced to kill her sister and foster parents, no doubt they'd eventually want her to kill Kabuto and the shadow-man as well. How wrong she'd been… As soon as she figured this out – having attempted to kill the shadow-man herself and failing miserably, she'd formed a strange bond with the young medical ninja. They did not hate one another, but nor did she feel any real affection towards him… instead, they worked like parasites, feeding off the other's small shows of emotion, training until she could no longer walk. Sometimes he would heal her; sometimes he wouldn't – depending on his mood. The day he nearly killed her, he left her in the field for hours on her own, forcing Orochimaru to come find her and take her back (the shadow-man had disappeared and she did not question why). Her lord had been so mad at her, he'd nearly killed her himself as soon as she'd healed…_

"_Kabuto, I hate you."_

" _Weren't you taught that emotional bonds are damaging?"_

" _I don't have a bond with you! I hate you!"_

" _Even hatred forms a bond. Perhaps you should think of that."_

" _You get emotions… you get to hate things… it's unfair! Why am I not allowed to feel?"_

"_Because that's not part of your purpose. You're just a weapon – you probably shouldn't even consider yourself as human."_

" _Not human? Then what am I Kabuto? I feel human…"_

" _No. You're a weapon with the ability to move. You're a storage container for a higher power. That's all."_

" _Is that why I don't get a name?"_

" _What do you care if you get a name? You're just a tool."_


	4. Chapter 4

Same as before, same comments - please, let me knows what you people think, ya?

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She awoke in a pitch-black room, tied to a bed – an IV in her arm and an aching pain filling her body. Confused and disoriented, she struggled against the binds, afraid that Kabuto would be back, that she was tied to a table to be used as an experiment. _He would kill her… he'd… take her blood; he'd take her eyes… no, no! _The binds barely budged against her panicked hands. Tired and heavy, her mouth couldn't form the words to defend herself, to try and tell him what had happened, instead strangled mutters and incoherent noises filled the room, barely recognizable as her own.

It took several minutes for her rationality and memory to peek back in and remind her what had happened… when she finally calmed down enough to realize the surroundings, her panic rose again. They'd caught her – she wasn't dead… she was in Konoha, she'd failed her mission – no… she'd saved her mark from Akahiro, from herself… A sick sense of dread filled her, toppling over the fear of death and tumbling into a fear of infinite pain. Calmly, she used an elongated thumbnail on her hand to cut a small scratch across her index finger. She used the small droplets of blood to form a tiny, razor sharp blade that cut through her bindings.

_Nan-chan! Nan-chan… I'm so sorry… I… forgot… if I die, you die too, don't you? My failure shouldn't be your hindrance. I…  
_

She sat up and the blood rushed to her head, causing her to nearly topple over with dizziness. Something in her blood kept her moving sluggishly – had they poisoned her? What was going on? She lifted her arm and watched it fall back limply after only a moment of exertion. She'd have to do what she planned quickly or they'd stop her… if they were going to kill her, she had to give Nan-chan a way to escape… she pushed her legs over the edge of the bed in a messy tangle of blankets and stood, somehow pushing them beneath the bed and out of her way with her unsteady feet. Inside, the demon did not try and constrain her, simply – watched on with curiosity.

Using the elongated, claw-like nails she could create on whim, she sliced an impressive gash into her wrist. Blood poured out, puddling thickly on the ground in a large, crimson circle near her feet. She stared at it, her eyes losing focus long enough for her to stumble and crash into the IV stand beside her bed. It collapsed with her on top of it, ripping the needles form her arm in a painful gush of clear liquid. Slowly, she gathered herself up, using her Kekkei Genkai – her own blood staunched the continuous flow in her wrist. Still… blood smeared the ground and the dressing gown she'd been changed into. Unable to stand, she crawled to the puddle of blood and recklessly poured her chakra into it – uncaring about the physical drain it caused on her own body.

_Nan-chan… Nan-chan please, please… don't die with me…  
_

The blood bubbled a purplish color with the extreme amount of blue chakra poured into it, but panic wouldn't allow her to stop – she had to save Nan-chan, Orochimaru couldn't get his hands on her again… no matter what he did to her, the biju didn't deserve to die because she was a silly mortal girl who couldn't just do as she'd been told. Adrenaline the only thing keeping her moving at all, she even forced forward a small amount of the demon's energy, causing the blood pool on the ground to sizzle like a pot of lava.

The girl nearly faltered – she could feel her heart becoming erratic, she could feel the pallor of her skin… but still, the demon did not interfere. Part of her knew the sadistic side of the beast was curious. It wanted to see what she was capable of, what her limits were. Ignoring the pain, closing her eyes against the pounding in her head and the cottony feeling of her mouth, she raised both her hands and began performing shaky hand signs. The first time, she could not complete the intricate list and had to start over from scratch – tears of frustration falling from her already too exhausted body. The second time, the blood began to rise from the ground, taking on a form the demon seemed to find extremely amusing. The last of her chakra flowed from her in erratic bursts, a flood gate trying to open and close with no steady hand behind it. The last drop left her body with a whoosh of breath she couldn't spare… as the girl began to fall, the strain on her body finally proving too much – the demon poured a small portion of its reserve into her, stopping her from falling forward and destroying what she'd just created. Feeling merciful, it even gave her enough strength to finish the jutsu. She lifted herself back up from the ground, unsure how she'd fallen on her back… unable to feel her shoulder, but knowing she'd reshattered the bone falling.

The form on the floor took full shape, the details forming perfectly – showing great attention and thoroughness despite the young ninja's state of being… indeed, despite nearly killing herself to create it – she knew she should be proud. The girl had just done something that very few could, in fact, no one in her family even…

Her vision went fuzzy, her eyes unable to see anything but black splotches in the ground. Somewhere far away, pain seared her very being, but her limbs were to heavy to move, she couldn't even turn her head to the door… her skin felt like weak paper… she should… _heal… no chakra to… heal… shi-  
_

Only when she had completely finished, her major organs failing from blood loss and strain, did Nan-chan finally begin the rapid healing process it was capable of. It did not save the girl – rather, it brought her away from death's door and left her still severely injured, figuring if she were worth saving – the doctor's would save her. What did she really care? The girl had done what she'd promised and Nan-chan had a basic escape… dark thoughts filled the demon's mind, imagining the days before being confined. If she died, it served her right for risking them for such a stupid thing… her own blood would have to prove sufficient to sate its thirst for the mean time - for the mean time? It'd demand a price as soon as she was healthy enough to pay it.


	5. Chapter 5

Just an obvious reminder - I don't own Naruto or any of its characters etcetera etcetera. Please peoples - I'm begging for reviews and suggestions, anything, even just a hello is more than appreciated. Things should get more interesting from now on, hopefully anyways - assuming that people start reading. I won't post anymore until I get at least one more review.

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" Call Tsunade immediately! The patient broke free from her bonds and is in critical condition – we've pulled her out of cardiac arrest but with the amount of blood she's lost we aren't sure how long she can hold on."

" What?! With the sedative we had running through her veins – there's no way she could even move her fingers much less break out of her bonds!"

" We don't know, but there's something strange going on – get Lady Tsunade – NOW! You better call Sakura as well!"

" Sakura-sensei, I only left for a few minutes!" The young medical ninja winced away from the pink-haired woman's fiery stare, already a wall in the hospital's hallway needed some severe restoration – she didn't want to be next on the list. However, Sakura was beyond anger at the stupidity of the young woman and onto helping the assassin sent from – well, they didn't know where and that was part of the problem. When she entered the room, Tsunade already seemed fast at work on the young woman. Her mind instantly changed tracks, turning completely professional at the sight at hand.

"Sakura!"

" Already on it Lady Tsunade." She jumped into the fray, green energy pouring from her fingertips and into the internal wounds of the girl. The healing chakra began instantly replacing the missing blood, rebuilding the destroyed soft tissue and the blood-starved internal organs. While she focused on the vitals, Tsunade focused on the contusions and re-broken bones. They had expected the sedative to be enough to keep her still so she wouldn't need casts for the short time it'd take their ninjutsu to work on healing the bones, but apparently – the young woman had taken initiative. The only thing she didn't understand was where all the blood went? She'd lost at least a third of it, and there was nothing but smears on the ground and clothing they'd changed her out of.

"Tsunade-"

" I know. Stay focused on keeping her alive before we ask that question."

Two hours later the strange young ninja remained in stable condition – and, to diminish any more accidents - Sakura took it upon herself to keep watch on her. Through the blinds in the window, gray light poured off the horizon, slowly transforming into a pale blue as the day proceeded. The moon disappeared into the light as a thin, chalky crescent, giving way to the sun and the chittering of birds. Sakura saw it all from a distance, her pale green eyes lost in thought and fatigue.

Halfway through her watch, as she sat alone in the room with the young ninja – something strange happened. A shadow pounced through the door. Thinking her mind played tricks on her, Sakura ignored the blur – until something scraped the chair behind her. Her face paled, the images of a snake slithering near her feet causing her to instantly stiffen and her hands to tighten. Suggestions that the girl was one of Orochimaru's had been made… A loud, irritated yowl broke the silence and Sakura nearly jumped from her skin. A dark, bluish black cat stood at her feet, looking at her with irritated eyes, as if chiding her for being frightened of nothing. However, unperturbed, the creature jumped into her lap and demanded attention – as cats are wont to do. Unsure of the origin of the strange animal – she pushed it off her lap, standing to stare at it warily. It's tail sported five goldish colored rings at the top in quick succession, and its eyes watched her with an eerie intelligence. It seemed irritated with her unwillingness to pet it and paced back and forth before the bed. Only when it began to yowl again did she sit down and allow it into her lap, intent on silencing the creature.

" I don't know where you came from, but I can't exactly kick you out if that's the racket you're going to make, can I?" She muttered, actually rather glad for a bit of seemingly friendly company.

It purred against her hand, rolling over to expose its belly for a rub. Sakura absent mindedly ran her finger through the soft fur until she noticed something unusual – on the belly of the cat, just in the middle, the same goldish tinted fur as the rings on the tail formed the marks of a seal… a seal she recognized from Naruto-kun.

Before she had a decent chance to inspect it, the door to the ward pushed all the way open – startling the cat instantly out of her lap and into the dark recesses of beneath the bed.

" I'm sorry Sakura, did I startle you?" The two ninja walked in casually, one taking a stance against the far wall and the other taking a stance next to the irritated pink-haired woman.

" Kakashi-sensei! Neji! What are you doing here?" She stood up, stifling a yawn and wiping potential sleep from her eyes. The white haired ninja gave her a half smile, stealing the chair she vacated and pulling a book from his pocket. The pages were worn, and after years of spending time with Kakashi, she didn't even need to look at the title of the book to recognize what he was reading.

" Why don't you go get some rest Sakura? Neji and I will watch over your patient for a little bit." He didn't look up from the pages of the book – she couldn't tell if he was purposely avoiding her gaze or if he was simply being Kakashi. Either way, she knew she needed the rest, and she felt sure that the two would be more than capable of handling the young unconscious ninja should something happen.

" Wake me if anything comes up, ya?" She asked, looking at the two. Neither responded, but then, she hadn't really expected them to. With one last sigh, she exited the room, her tired mind forgetting about the cat hidden beneath the bed.

" You can stop pretending to be unconscious now if you so please, we have no intention of hurting you." Neji stayed silent in the corner, letting Kakashi state what both of them had already sensed upon entering the room. The girl had her chakra suppressed and a special jutsu covering her body, masking her waking state and instead, allowing her body to seem completely relaxed. Slowly, the jutsu faded and she opened her eyes, staring at them with a total lack of emotion.

He noticed the color of her eyes with slight apprehension. They were a bright, unnatural amethyst color with pupils in the shape of commas. In one eye, the comma's tale pointed downwards, and in the other, it pointed up – almost like a split circle. The medical ninja's had pulled her hair back into a loose bun to keep the hair out of their way (any other patient they would have just shorn it, but with this one's strange appearance… they wouldn't risk something strange happening.) The strands were a faded jean blue, as if after several washes the color had bled away to something less harsh – less brilliant. The color reminded him of dead, powdery butterfly wings. Other than these unusual features, the girl appeared completely normal. She appeared neither stunningly beautiful nor plain; someone he would notice once in a crowd and never think of again. He folded the book in his hands closed and slipped it back into his pocket. Kakashi glanced once at Neji, then back towards the girl. She lay still in the bed, staring at the ceiling like a doll tossed aside by its child.

" Seeing as you're now in our hospitality, I think it's only fair you tell us where you're from and what your name is." He threw the words into the air, trying to kill the dead silence in the room. He felt surprised when she actually responded, having expected nothing but a blank stare.

" Why would a weapon have a name? The Village Hidden in Ash manufactured me, but they'd never claim it." Her voice hid the emotion behind it extremely well – however, Kakashi could hear the slightest tone of bitterness, the tiniest inflection of pain. Neji looked at him with something resembling suspicion. Naruto had described to them the events of the previous night, and it did not sound like a story of apathy. Not to mention, he made it clear that the girl had abilities that reminded him of Neji and Sasuke… and Kakashi. If it were true that somehow, the girl contained one of the dojutsu, the two of them were the only ones at the moment capable of handling her. He wasn't sure what to make of her answer, and opted to try another approach.

" You were sent to assassinate Naruto Uzumaki, why?"

" I don't know."

" You don't know, or you won't tell us?"

" I'm just a tool – do you tell a rake why it rakes leaves? Do you tell a shovel why it digs? He said ' Find and kill Naruto Uzumaki' and I found him." She glanced at the two of them, her eyes narrowing with worry. Naruto had said she protected him… why would she do that, if she viewed herself as just a nameless tool? Something beneath that calm demeanor obviously had become very confused.

" Who's 'he'?"

" Akahiro. "

Kakashi instantly lost his jovial demeanor and the air in the room became cold. The name was notorious in Konoha – a cold, sadistic man with a hunger for power. Several people of extreme influence had gone missing to his benefit – and the trails always stopped at his door, though nothing could be pinned on him. His own son disappeared in an "act of war" that spoke of a set up – by his own father. It didn't make sense though – he knew that they weren't on good terms with the Village Hidden in the Mist, but to draw an actual hostile attack? It would have been perceived as an outright act of war! Were things really that bad?

" Why did you save Naruto?" Lost in thought, both Kakashi and the girl looked at Neji with surprise. They were the first words he'd spoken since Kakashi had summoned him earlier that morning. The young Jonin had remained in a strangely volatile mood the entire time, even refusing a free breakfast at the ramen bar. The girl looked at him with what he could only make out to be awe – or maybe respect?

" You're Neji Hyuuga, aren't you? Kabuto told me that if they'd been able to use your DNA, I wouldn't have been such a failure… my Byakugan can only reach a ten foot radius, unfortunately… it isn't very useful."

" Answer my question." His voice held a dangerous edge to it, his eyes narrowing with a barely restrained anger.

The tension in the room built up, filling the air with a thick sense of restraint. Kakashi remained on his toes, afraid Neji would do something silly and attack the girl. His body remained relaxed and leaned comfortably against the wall, nothing but clenched fists showing his disdain towards the young assassin, however, for the normally calm teenager, it was enough to make the older ninja wary.

The girl had to be the same age as him, eighteen – maybe nineteen at the oldest. In the moment Neji had spoken her, the girl had instantly seemed to wake up, as if something had snapped her out of the strange haze she'd put herself in.

" I'll answer your question, if you answer one for me first." She looked at him, never once wavering from the death-stare he threw in her direction. He wondered what she held up her sleeve. Something about her made him nervous. Even with her admitting she contained a weak byakugan, that didn't explain the power he sensed she held – and then the cat jumped through the bed and into her lap. Kakashi jumped to his feet, but Neji did not look surprised at all. The creature seemed solid enough, but he could tell not just from its ability to pass through a solid object, but from the way it looked at him that the creature did not belong to the normal cat classification. It yowled one loud, irritated cry before the binds keeping the girl lying down simply disappeared. She sat up, rubbing her wrists and letting out a sigh of relief.

" Nan- no… that would be confusing… Nan… Nanta! Nanta-chan, this is Kakashi, and Neji Hyuuga." She said, nodding to each of them in turn. The cat looked at both with lazy, sun-filled eyes before curling up in the girls lap and going to sleep. It seemed less than impressed, and Kakashi couldn't help but feel slightly insulted.

" What's your question?" Neji asked, having lost none of his angry spark. The girl lost the momentary cheerfulness she'd obtained, the child like quality that had momentarily existed disappearing instantaneously. In that moment, Kakashi knew why he felt so unnerved – every trace of humanity disappeared from the girl's face, the look in her eyes, the demeanor she held herself – it screamed death. When she said she was nothing but a weapon – she'd meant it. Never had he seen something so terrifying, as the woman he saw sitting before him then.

" If they come to take me back, what will you do?"


	6. Chapter 6

Hello all! Or the few of you actually reading this at the moment... well, I promised you a new chapter, so here it is! I'd really appreciate some reviews and any suggestions/advice you have to give. I also apologize for my lack of use of japanese words - I don't know many of them, and I'm afraid of butchering all of them. Anywho... one other question - is the spacing still troublesome? I can't tell to be honest. Let me know please And - thank you for my one reviewer, you keep my hopes up!

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" I hope I'm not interrupting anything, I'm bringing Choji breakfast and Sakura suggested I bring this to you as well." The youth stood in the doorway, carrying in his hand a bag of what could only be predicted to be food. His voice sounded bored and uninterested in the awkward silence that seemed to fill the space, but he did do a double take at the room's inhabitants. She looked at him with wide eyes, not wanting to deal with another barrage of questions and strange responses. The answer Hyuuga had given her she never would have expected… but then, he seemed taken aback by her own answer as well. At least for the time being the two could hold each other to honesty.

Inside her, the biju yawned – not from exhaustion, simply to remind her of its existence. Her jutsu had worked – her blood took the form of the miniscule panther, and though she'd never created a fully functional creature before – Kabuto had reassured her in the past not only that she had the capability, but in the case of her untimely death, the creature could possibly still survive for a decent amount of time. Nan-chan could switch back and forth between her and the cat, though she'd put certain measures in place to keep the biju from taking the body and disappearing. For the mean time, a seal kept the cat bound to her. It could only be taken a certain distance away from her before it would either reappear at her side or be destroyed (she really didn't know if she'd gotten that part of the jutsu right, having been so delirious at the time). It could not perform any special tricks, and she'd limited the chakra paths through it to just the blood – meaning only she could use it as a weapon. In summary – the cat was nothing but a cat. In the case of her death by a hand other than the biju's, she'd simply release the seal keeping it bound to her and allow the demon to go free until it found its next host. She realized perhaps the plan had flaws, but at that moment she felt a certain self-pride in knowing she had the ability to create forms of life… in her feverish panic, she'd finally found another use for her Kekkei Genkai.

The cat opened its eyes and looked at the boy with little curiosity. The girl felt the demon leave her for the furrier body, surprised to find how naked it made her feel. The cat glanced at her and let out a warning hiss, in her mind, she could still keep communication with the demon – the cat was still her blood after all, like another limb.

_This? You give me this puny thing as a means of escape? Perhaps I should have let you die…_

The girl ignored the harsh words, watching instead what action the now partially free demon would take.

Neji glared at the creature, sensing a huge fluctuation of chakra in the room into the tiny body. His activated Byakugan could make out the brilliantly shining cat, where before it looked to simply be a regular animal. He stepped forward to block its path to Shikamaru, unsure of what exactly the girl planned on doing with the thing. The chakra seemed to have no outlet – he knew it couldn't be an explosive but… why then? Shocked, he instinctively grabbed the scruff of its neck when it made a dodge towards Kakashi. It yowled in frustration, scratching its rather nasty looking claws at the ninja's arm.

" What the hell is this little thing? It seems a rather useless tool to waste so much chakra on." He muttered matter-of-factly, holding it at arms distance. The creature remained helpless in his hands, unable to do anything but swish him with its tail.

The girl looked at him seemingly astounded, shifting to sit up straighter in the bed.

" Nan-chan tells me you better put her down or she'll- well, scratch you." Her voice seemed slightly cheery. In the doorway, the youth let out a sigh.

" Look, I don't really know what's going on, but do you want this breakfast or not? I have better things to do than listening to you all." He muttered, seeming irritated. Neji set the cat down, receiving a swipe of claws in his general direction before turning away and letting the thing bolt back onto the bed with the girl. Kakashi he noticed, unsurprised, had pulled his novel back out and read it despite the assassin lying so close by.

" Well, I guess we'll take it yeah. Why don't you come in and join us for a bit?"

" Nah, I have some other business to attend to."

"Temari in town again? With the chuunin exams so close, I'm surprised she doesn't just stay until they start."

Seeming to avoid the subject, Neji didn't push when Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders in response. He took the bag from his comrade and watched him leave, slightly crestfallen. Kakashi wouldn't serve as good company – and he sure as hell didn't want any more to do with the girl than he had to… which meant he would be left to his own company. Feeling moody, he pulled the three separate boxes from the bag – each containing a portion of rice and green melon slices. He doled them out, nearly dropping the girl's in order to keep as much distance as possible.

" You can't have no name." He raised his hand to stop her protest. " I'm aware that you can have no name – it isn't an uncommon thing in this world, however – you must have an identity if you're going to be here with us. Seeing as we can't have you tying up a hospital bed we might need, and seeing as how you can't just go – you'll be left with an escort twenty-four seven, and you'll need a title to be addressed by." Kakashi sighed, seeing her blank look. The cat, having taken a sudden liking to him despite his dislike for the thing – or perhaps, because of his dislike for it – purred in his lap, glancing at him with lazy yellow eyes.

" Fine then. If it's as inevitable as you make it seem, please, give me a name." She muttered, looking at him with a blank expression. Sakura and Ino had taken it upon themselves to bring her clothes until she could get her own – and after they played dress up on the girl like she were a human doll, she looked like an odd conglomeration of the two. Over all, Kakashi felt she'd been a rather good sport about it… the two had been… well; competitive over the style they dressed her in. Now, sporting one of Sakura's red zip up shirts, a pair of Ino's old shoes, a pair of Ino's fishnets for her arms, and a pair of black capris they'd had to steal from a stuttering Hinata (they couldn't find anything that otherwise wouldn't clash), she looked like a part of the Konoha community. Her light blue hair hung around her shoulders, a few small braids with tiny black ribbons on either side. He chuckled to himself, having heard the argument thrown over those – He felt surprised the girl was still fully intact after Sakura and Ino's little escapade, they'd nearly torn her in half while deciding what to do with her hair.

" Arisu. You're name will be Arisu." Kakashi had brought the issue to Tsunade, and after a short debate, they decided that Arisu would be an acceptable title for their newest adopted assassin. Both felt confident she wouldn't try anything – after more questioning, she'd admitted that since her previous "handler" had given her up, the next person whom came in contact with her would be her new keeper. After all, she couldn't go back to Orochimaru – nor did she want to. Kakashi noticed the way she paled at the mention of Kabuto and figured that over all, she probably wasn't in very good standings amongst them.

" So who will be my escort then?" She asked, curiosity filling her voice. Slowly, he could see her mask of apathy folding away and the emotions she kept beneath bleeding through. Hopefully, him and the other ninja could rehabilitate her back into a normal person… besides, he wanted to learn more about her techniques, especially her Kekkei Genkai, something she'd only halfway explained to them.

" Well, you'll be with me today, Sakura and Ino tomorrow, Shikamaru the next day, Neji, then Naruto, then Temari, and finally – Hinata offered to take you on the last day. Should any of them have to depart for a mission, you'll be with a replacement for the time they're gone." He watched her nod her head, sure that despite the blank expression, she'd memorized each one of the people and the day's she'd be with them.


	7. Chapter 7

Ni hao! I know I said one chapter, but I really like this one so I wanted to put it up too. Two more reviews before I put anything else up... I want to know that people are actually reading and that I'm not completely wasting my time trying to post things, ya? Ya. I don't own Naruto, blah blah blah.

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_Three weeks later_

" Sakura! Wait, have you seen Kakashi?" Arisu stood before her, a book clutched in one hand and a note of irritation in her voice. Sakura tried suppressing a smile, not sure what could put the girl in such a tiff and not positive she wanted to know.

" I saw him about an hour ago ducking into the ramen shop, why? Isn't he supposed to be your escort today?" She asked, now slightly concerned.

" Hai! And he ditched me! I don't understand… I only asked him a question." She muttered, the irritation blending with something Sakura could only think was confusion.

"A question? What _kind _of question?" Her curiosity was just too piqued now.

"He let me borrow – well, I stole this book from him since he was always reading it, but I don't understand it, and he won't explain what this means to me."

Sakura looked at her, trying to stifle humor at the conversation. If it was one of Kakashi's books, and if the girl didn't understand something that obviously embarrassed him enough to have him shirking his duties…

" Let me take a look." Sakura muttered, tugging on a strand of her bubble-gum pink hair, now sure she probably didn't wanted to know, but wanting to help the girl anyways. Arisu handed the book over to her, opening to a place she had marked by folding over the corner of the page, and pointing to a paragraph half way down. Sakura looked at it, looked at her, looked at the page – turned bright red and let out a little cough.

" Hm… well – look, was that Kakashi over there? I think he just passed – yes! That was him!" She pushed the girl towards a large crowd of people, shooing her towards them and shoving the book back in her hands. As soon as Sakura had Arisu's back turned to her, looking off into the crowd for her daily escort, she turned and ran.

" Sakura I don't see- Sakura? Sakura!" She looked around herself slightly confused, her braids bobbing with the turns of her head. " Hn…I guess she doesn't know what it means either…" Arisu sighed and headed towards the ramen shack, hoping perhaps he still remained there.

" Neji? I'm sorry, I know it isn't your day to escort me, but… have you seen Kakashi-sensei? He seems to have disappeared on me and –" She paused, squeezing the book in her hand with hesitation.

" And what? Did he have a mission he suddenly had to leave for?" Neji asked, looking up from his ramen with obvious disdain. Arisu looked at him and shook her head no.

" Then did you wander away from him? Because then he's probably looking for you." He had already turned his attention back to his ramen, having figured that this must have been the problem. When he looked up next and she still stood there, he set his chopsticks down and turned his full annoyance on her.

" Well? He couldn't have just disappeared – what did he say when he left?" He asked, wondering how this supposed great assassin could lose someone when he should have been attached to her hip. He couldn't imagine Kakashi shirking his duties either, so the girl must have slipped her chain and now, they just kept missing each other.

" He said – hn… well, he didn't say anything really. I asked him a question and then he just rubbed his head and took off." She muttered, squeezing the pink-covered book in her hand again, looking down and avoiding Neji's unwavering stare.

" What did you ask him?" His voice sounded accusatory, and feeling rather unsure of herself, she opened the dog-eared page of the book up and pointed to the same passage she'd asked Sakura and Kakashi both about. Neji took the book, looked at the page – looked at her, looked at the book, blushed bright red and coughed.

" Do you know what this…" _cough "_you… you asked Kakashi what-" _cough cough _

" no wonder he ran…" _cough cough cough. _

She looked at him concerned, her eyes narrowing with confusion and hesitation.

" Neji-sama? Are you all right – are you choking? Do you need help?"

" No – no, I'm fine Arisu" He continued coughing though, and this seemed to be raising great alarm in the girl. Stepping outside of the small restaurant, she grabbed the closest youth to help her with Neji; afraid she'd done something terrible to hurt him.

Naruto, surprised at the hand yanking him into his favorite ramen shop – didn't argue, hoping maybe he'd get a free lunch out of it… his stomach grumbled with anticipation. Instantly, his hopes went down when he saw Arisu standing next to Neji, who's pale complexion had taken the shade of a ripe cherry and seemed to be either trying to hold in a laugh, or choking.

"What the-"

"Naruto! I-just-asked-him-to-read-this-passage-then-he-started-to-do-this-and-I-think-It-might-be-killing-him-but-I-don't-know-what-to-do! Help!" She looked at him with big, worried purple eyes. He looked again at Neji, afraid to question why he still couldn't seem to get his breath back. Slowly, the coughs were becoming more and more recognizable as stifled laughter. Naruto narrowed his eyes and looked back to Arisu, recognizing the book in her hand all too well as one of Kakashi's.

"Alright, let me see this passage – don't worry, I trained with Ero-sennin, I'm immune to being hurt by these things." He comforted, seeing instantly her want to refuse him – apparently the passage was creating all sorts of havoc for the girl… wasn't it Kakashi's day to be watching her? Where did he get off to?

Putting aside the important question to try and help the distraught girl, he took the book from her and read the passage.

"WHAAAAA?! You asked Kakashi- and Neji-" Naruto seemed to be having a hard time processing, his jaw having dropped and his eyes nearly bursting from his head.

"And Sakura…" she added dejectedly

"To read this-"

"And explain it to me." Arisu finished for him. He looked at her, looked at the book, looked at Neji now coughing in one continuous burst – and began to laugh. Like a broken floodgate, the dark-haired youth next to him lost his coughing cover and began to laugh as well. Slowly, the laughter built until the two were in absolute hysterics, unable to get up from the floor they'd fallen onto.

Arisu turned bright red, suddenly realizing they weren't going to help her – they were laughing – _at her. _Tears welled up in her eyes and unable to stand the embarrassment that overtook her, she turned and ran from the ramen shop.

"Ari- Aris- Arisu! Come- ba- ack!" Naruto tried yelling after her, but couldn't seem to get the words out clearly through his laughter.

She sat blurry eyed upon the top branches of an oak, its massive trunk serving as a perfect backrest. High up, she could see not only miles in either direction – but all the people below looking for her. The bag she now carried with her meowed and she unzipped it, looking at the cat that resided within. Its lazy yellow eyes regarded her with dull acknowledgment. It slept continuously which made it easy to carry upon her back and she didn't have to worry about it becoming separated from her then. With a sigh, she let the animal out to rest on the branch along side of her. It regarded the tears on her face with an amusement only Nan-chan was capable of, and she realized partially that it too laughed at her. Angry, she blocked the demon's entrance back into her body and stretched out the seal she'd put on them – allowing her to jump to the next tree, and the next, and the next, and the next – until she felt the pull of the seal threatening her. Either way, the cat now too was out of her sight and she wouldn't have to deal with anymore of their laughter. Unsure of whether she felt more angry or embarrassed and overwhelmed with her own self-pity, she didn't notice she had company until the man spoke.

" We may have done a lot of things to you, but we never made you cry." Her back stiffened and instantly the voice broke her from her sorrow, sending a cold shiver of panic down her spine. Slowly, she turned from where she sat, hoping to everything holy she had misheard the voice. He stood on the branch adjacent to hers, leaning coolly against the trunk of the tree and looking off into the distance. His glasses caught a reflection of light, making his eyes look like large silver-yellow orbs. Arisu went pale.

Kabuto.

He'd come for her.


End file.
